Sheriff's Office News

This news item expired on 6/30/2014, so the information below could be outdated or incorrect.

Sheriff's Office Requests the Public's Vigilance Against Home Improvement Scam

The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office has been notified of a scam targeting the elderly involving persons posing as Energy Efficiency Specialists offering free in-home assessments. Once the offer for the assessment is accepted, the homeowner is contacted to confirm the appointment. If the appointment is cancelled for any reason, the homeowner is threatened with a bill.

One person involved in this scam, Richard Farrant of Taylorsville, NC, was recently arrested in Morganton, NC. Upon arresting Farrant, Morganton Department of Public Safety investigators discovered that he had a felony warrant in Buncombe County due to a similar complaint made against him. Farrant also has several warrants for his arrest in other jurisdictions across North Carolina for participating in similar scams.

The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office urges anyone that might have been solicited by Richard Farrant to contact the Sheriff’s Office at (828) 250-6670. Deputies advise homeowners to be suspicious of people offering home repairs that are only available for a limited time, pressuring home owners to sign up for the offer at that moment.

Deputies would also like to remind everyone to never give personal or financial information to someone over the phone that refuses to identify themselves or the business they are representing.